Docking station for underwater robot

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a docking station whereby an underwater robot can be maintained, repaired and managed all the time. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a docking station can be provided that may comprise: a receiving unit configured to receive an underwater robot therein and positioned under a surface of water; a maintenance unit provided on the receiving unit and positioned above the surface of the water; and a conveyor unit configured to convey the underwater robot from the receiving unit to the maintenance unit.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a docking station for maintenance,repair and management of underwater robot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An underwater robot explores underwater environment while moving in thewater. Such an underwater robot is capable of moving and exploring inthe water by using a power of an embedded battery. If, however, theembedded battery is completely discharged in the water, the underwaterrobot cannot be operated anymore and the battery needs to be recharged.

Various techniques have been proposed for maintenance, repair andmanagement of the underwater robot such as battery charging. Forexample, Patent Document 1 (Korean Patent No. 10-10033967) discloses acharging station including a main body at which an underwaterexploration robot can dock; and a charging unit configured to charge theunderwater exploration robot. Further, as described in Patent Document 2(Korean Patent Publication No. 2011-0012324), there has been alsoproposed an underwater robot configured to transmit a charging requestpacket when the remaining battery or battery status of the underwaterrobot is below a threshold value, and a charging station configured tolocate the underwater robot at a charging position by a magnetic forceby way of operating an electromagnet.

In the aforementioned conventional techniques, however, since thecharging of the underwater robot is conducted in the water, completewaterproofing for charging is difficult to achieve, and it may result inoccurrence of a short circuit.

Accordingly, various kinds of circuits and a battery embedded in theunderwater robot are highly likely to be damaged.

Moreover, since the underwater robot is managed only in the water, ithas been difficult to dry and clean the underwater robot.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

In view of the foregoing problems, the present disclosure provides adocking station capable of charging an underwater robot safely.

Further, the present disclosure also provides a docking station capableof performing drying and cleaning of the underwater robot smoothly.

In addition, the present disclosure also provides a docking stationwhereby maintenance, repair and management of the underwater robot canbe performed all the time.

Technical Problem

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure, adocking station may comprise: a receiving unit configured to receive anunderwater robot therein and positioned under a surface of water; amaintenance unit provided on the receiving unit and positioned above thesurface of the water; and a conveyor unit configured to convey theunderwater robot from the receiving unit to the maintenance unit.

Further, the receiving unit may comprise: a guide arm configured toguide a movement of the underwater robot; and a docking unit at whichthe underwater robot guided from the guide arm is to be settled.

Further, the docking unit may comprise: a sliding portion configured toallow the underwater robot to be slid by gravity and self-weight andsettled at a right position; and a driving unit configured to rotate thesliding portion in an upward direction.

Further, the sliding portion may comprise a docking groove extended tohave a V-shaped cross section, and the underwater robot may be settledin the docking groove and be slid.

Further, the sliding portion may comprise: a front end portion connectedto the driving unit; and a rear end portion configured to be rotated inthe upward direction about the front end portion.

Further, the the rear end portion may be placed at a positon higher thanthe front end portion by being rotated from a positon lower than thefront end portion.

Further, the receiving unit may further comprise buoyant bodies that aredisposed at both side of the receiving unit and provide buoyance.

Further, the maintenance unit may comprise: a first maintenance unitconfigured to perform cleaning and drying of the underwater robot; and asecond maintenance unit configured to charge a battery of the underwaterrobot.

Further, the conveyor unit may comprise: a conveyor rail provided at themaintenance unit; a conveyor guide provided to be movable by theconveyor rail; and a gripper connected to the conveyor guide andconfigured to hold the underwater robot to move the underwater robot.

Further, the gripper may comprise: a first fixing member configured tosupport one side of the underwater robot; and a second fixing memberconfigured to fix the other side of the underwater robot.

Further, the first fixing member and the second fixing members areprovided with a curved portion having a shape corresponding to a contourof the underwater robot.

Further, the curved portion may include a protruding settlement portionfor allowing the underwater robot to be stably fixed thereat.

Further, the maintenance unit may comprise at least one of a camera, anantenna and a sensor.

Further, the receiving unit may comprise a movement device configured tomove the docking station.

Further, the movement device may include a propeller provided to movethe docking station in the water.

Advantageous Effects

With the docking station of the underwater robot according to theexample embodiment of the present disclosure, an underwater robot can becharged safely.

Besides, drying and cleaning of the underwater robot can be performedsmoothly.

Further, since maintenance, repair and management of the underwaterrobot can be performed all the time, efficient underwater explorationcan be performed.

In addition, by adjusting a sliding position by a self-weight of theunderwater robot, the structure of the docking station can besimplified, and economic feasibility can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a docking station for an underwaterrobot in accordance with an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the docking station for the underwater robotin accordance with the example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the docking station for the underwater robot inaccordance with the example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a docking groove of a slidingportion of the docking station in accordance with the example embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a movement of the docking groove of thesliding portion in accordance with the example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view illustrating a conveyor unit of thedocking station in accordance with the example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view illustrating a maintenance unit of thedocking station in accordance with the example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are perspective views illustrating a gripper of thedocking station in accordance with the example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for describing an operation method for thedocking station in accordance with the example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

BEST MODE FOR THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, example embodiments will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings so that inventive concept may bereadily implemented by those skilled in the art.

In discussing the example embodiments, detailed description of knownfunctions or configurations will be omitted when the descriptiondisturbs clear understanding of the essentials of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a docking station for an underwaterrobot in accordance with an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are a front view and a side view of thedocking station respectively for the underwater robot in accordance withthe example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a docking station 10 in accordance withthe example embodiment includes a receiving unit 200 provided under thesurface of water and configured to receive an underwater robot 20therein; a maintenance unit 100 provided on the receiving unit 200 andlocated above the surface of the water; and a conveyor unit 130 providedwithin the maintenance unit 100 and configured to convey the underwaterrobot 20 from the receiving unit 200 to the maintenance unit 100.

The underwater robot 20 may be formed in a fish shape having a head, abody and a tail. As a whole, the underwater robot 20 is designed to havea streamlined shape, so that water resistance can be minimized.

The receiving unit 200 and the maintenance unit 100 of the dockingstation 10 are formed to communicate with each other. As the maintenanceunit 100 is placed at a top central portion of the receiving unit 200that is disposed under the surface of the water, the maintenance unit100 can be located on the surface of the water. In the present exampleembodiment, placing the maintenance unit 100 on the surface of the waterdoes not mean that an interface between the maintenance unit 100 and theaccommodation unit 200 always coincides with the surface of the water.Rather, as a relative concept to the receiving unit 200 disposed underthe surface of the water and receiving the underwater robot 20 in thewater W, placing the maintenance unit 100 on the surface of the watershould be understood to mean that components of the maintenance unit 100that perform major functions are placed above the surface of the water.For example, a part of the lower portion of the maintenance unit 100 maybe submerged in the water.

The receiving unit 200 may include a main body 200 a having arectangular shape, for example; and guide arms 201 configured to guidethe underwater robot 20 into the main body 200 a.

A buoyant body 106 for providing buoyance may be disposed at a lateralside of the main body 200 a. Here, at least one buoyant body may beprovided. Alternatively, the buoyant body 106 may be provided within themain body 200 a. That is, the location of the buoyant body 106 does notlimit the technical concept of the present disclosure at all.

A movement device 107 may be mounted to a bottom surface of the mainbody 200 a so that the docking station 10 can be moved smoothly on land.In the present example embodiment, the movement device 107 isimplemented by casters, but not limited thereto. Further, the main body200 a may be further equipped with a propulsion device (not shown) suchas a propeller for adjusting a position of the docking station 10 in thestate that the docking station 10 floats in the water.

Further, the movement device 107 may include a position recognition nodefor position recognition in the water.

The main body 200 a is provided with, at a front face thereof, anopening 200 b through which the underwater robot 20 can be introducedinto the main body 200 a. The guide arms 201 may be provided at bothsides of the opening 200 b.

The size of the guide arms 201 may be determined by reflecting aposition recognition error of the underwater robot 20, and the guidearms 201 may be made of a soft material to prevent a damage of theunderwater robot 20. The guide arms 201 may be formed so as to be spreadfrom the opening 200 b such that the underwater robot 20 can be guidedtoward the opening 200 b when the underwater robot 20 collides with theguide arms 201 on the move to the docking station.

The receiving unit 200 includes a docking unit 210 at which theunderwater robot 20 guided by the guide arms 201 can be settled.

The docking unit 210 includes a sliding portion 211 that receives theunderwater robot 20 introduced through the opening 200 b. The underwaterrobot 20 can be slid along a docking groove 211 c of the sliding portion211 and moved toward the inside of the main body 200 a.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the docking groove of thesliding portion of the docking station in accordance with the exampleembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing amovement of the docking groove of the sliding portion in accordance withthe example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the sliding portion 211 may have thedocking groove 211 c extended in a V shape. To elaborate, the dockinggroove 211 c may be formed in a V shape of which center is inclined in adownward direction such that the underwater robot 20 can be located at aright position to be conveyed to the maintenance unit 100 when theunderwater robot 20 is slid due to its self-weight.

The underwater robot 20 is moved to the maintenance unit 100 from thereceiving unit 200 by the conveyor unit 130 for the purposes ofmanagement such as cleaning, drying, charging and overhauling. At thistime, the underwater robot 20 needs to be located in the docking groove211 c of the sliding portion 211 so as to be stably held by a gripper133 of the conveyor unit 130.

For this purpose, the docking groove 211 c is formed to allow thestreamlined underwater robot 20 to be aligned in a straight line shapedue to gravity and the V-shaped cross sectional structure of the dockinggroove 211 c.

To elaborate, if the underwater robot 20 is loaded in the docking groove211 c to be aligned for sliding, the sliding portion 211 may be rotatedupwards about a front end portion 211 a.

The receiving unit 200 includes a driving unit 214 configured to rotatethe sliding portion 211 upwards.

The driving unit 214 may include a motor having a rotation shaftconfigured to rotate the front end portion 211 a to thereby move thesliding portion 211 upwards. In the present example embodiment, thedriving unit 214 is implemented by a motor, but not limited thereto. Byway of example, the sliding docking groove 211 can be moved upwards byusing various devices such as a hinge, a crane, a lifter, or the like.

The driving unit 214 rotates the sliding docking groove 211 in an upwarddirection of a certain angle θ such that a rear end portion 211 b of thesliding portion 211 comes to a higher position than the front endportion 211 a. If the rear end portion 211 b of the sliding dockinggroove 211 becomes higher than the front end portion 211 a thereof, theunderwater robot 20 is slid toward the front end portion 211 a of thesliding portion 211 due to its self-weight. At this time, since thedocking groove 211 c of the sliding portion 211 is formed to have theV-shaped cross section and the underwater robot 20 is formed to have thestreamlined body with an oval cross section, the posture of theunderwater robot 20 can be aligned in an extending direction of theV-shaped groove. The sliding docking groove 211 may be provided with astopper 213 that stops the movement of the underwater robot 20 if theunderwater robot 20 is slid to a preset position, whereby the underwaterrobot 20 can be held in a right place.

Thus, an additional mechanism for the alignment of the underwater robot20 is not required, so that the structure of the docking station can besimplified.

Further, the maintenance unit 100 includes a case 100 a which isdisposed on the receiving unit 200, forming an outer body. Further, themaintenance unit 100 also includes a CCD camera 101, a GPS 102, ameteorological station 103, a wireless antenna 104, and so forth thatare mounted to the exterior side of the case 100 a.

The CCD camera 101, the GPS 102, the meteorological station 103 and thewireless antenna 104 may be disposed on a top end of the case 100 a, butnot limited thereto.

The GPS 102 recognizes the position of the underwater robot 20. That is,the GPS 102 is capable of performing position recognition of theunderwater robot over a wide range in association with a correspondingoperation function of the docking station 10 itself

The meteorological station 103 is configured to monitor a weathercondition such as a wind direction or a temperature and transmit theweather condition information to the underwater robot 20 submerged inthe water.

Further, the receiving unit 200 may be equipped with a position trackingsystem (Ultra Short Base Line, USBL) communication module 105, a waterquality measurement sensor 108, and so forth.

By providing the water quality measurement sensor 108 in the dockingstation 10, the docking station 10 may be utilized as a floating waterquality monitoring system.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view illustrating the conveyor unit of thedocking station according to the example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, and FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view illustrating themaintenance unit of the docking station according to the exampleembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a perspective viewshowing a gripper of the docking station according to the exampleembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, the maintenance unit 100 includes a firstmaintenance unit 110 provided within the case 100 a and a secondmaintenance unit 120 disposed on the first maintenance unit 110.

The first maintenance unit 110 includes a cleaning device 112 foreliminating impurities adhering to the exterior surface of theunderwater robot 20; and a drying device 11 for drying moisture clingingto the exterior surface of the underwater robot 20.

The cleaning device 112 includes a water-jet hose for cleaning theunderwater robot 20, or the like. The drying device 111 includes ablower configured to blow heated air to the underwater robot 20, or thelike. In the present example embodiment, the cleaning device 112 and thedrying device 111 are described to include the water-jet hose and theblower, respectively, the present disclosure may not be limited thereto.

The second maintenance unit 120 includes a charging unit 121 configuredto charge the battery of the underwater robot 20.

The charging unit 121 may include at least one protruding chargingterminal 122.

In the present example embodiment, the maintenance unit 100 is describedto be have a two-story structure as the second maintenance unit 120 isprovided on top of the first maintenance unit 110. However, the exampleembodiment is not limited thereto, and the first maintenance unit 110and the second maintenance unit 120 may be arranged horizontally.

Referring to FIG. 7, the maintenance unit 100 will be elaborated infurther details. When the underwater robot 20 is conveyed from thedocking groove 211 c of the sliding portion 211 of the receiving unit200, impurities adhering to the underwater robot 20 during theunderwater exploration are eliminated by the cleaning device 112 of thefirst maintenance unit 110. Then, upon the completion of the cleaningprocess, the cleaned underwater robot 20 is moved to and dried by thedrying device 111.

Upon the completion of the cleaning and drying process, the underwaterrobot 20 is moved to a charging position in the second maintenance unit120 and charged by being connected to the charging terminal 122.

The conveyor unit 130 for conveying the underwater robot 20 from thereceiving unit 200 to the maintenance unit 100 includes a conveyor rail131 provided within the case 100 a of the maintenance unit 100; aconveyor guide 132 movably mounted to the conveyor rail 131; and agripper 133 connected to an end portion of the conveyor guide 132 andconfigured to move the underwater robot 20.

The conveyor rail 131 may be mounted on an inner top surface or an innerside surface of the case 100 a. By way of example, the conveyor guide132 may be provided to move the conveyor guide 132 in an X-axisdirection (left-right direction of FIG. 7) and a Y-axis direction (paperplane direction of FIG. 7).

The conveyor guide 132 is configured to be movable in the X-axisdirection and in the Y-axis direction along the conveyor rail 131. Thegripper 133 can be moved in a vertical direction (Z-axis direction)along the conveyor guide 132, and the conveyor guide 132 may be equippedwith driving devices such as a motor and a belt for moving the gripper133 in the vertical direction.

The aforementioned arrangement of the conveyor rail 131 and the conveyorguide 132 is nothing more than an example, and the present disclosure isnot limited thereto. The conveyor rail 131 and the conveyor guide 132only need to have a structure and a configuration capable of conveyingthe gripper 133 in an internal space of the maintenance unit 100 inthree axial directions. For this purpose, various known devices can beused as the conveyor rail 131 and the conveyor guide 132.

The gripper 133 includes a first fixing member 134 configured to supportone side of the underwater robot 20 located in the docking groove 211 cof the sliding portion 211; and a second fixing member 135 configured tofix the other side of the underwater robot 20.

The first fixing member 134 and the second fixing member 135 areconnected to the conveyor guide 132 via a gripper arm 138. The gripperarm 138 includes a first gripper arm 138 a connected to the first fixingmember 134 and a second gripper arm 138 b connected to the second fixingmember 135.

The gripper 133 is configured to hold or unhold the underwater robot 20by adjusting a distance between the first fixing member 134 and thesecond fixing member 135.

The second gripper arm 138 b of the second fixing member 135 isrotatably coupled to the first gripper arm 138 a by a hinge 135 a. Thesecond gripper arm 138 b can be moved from the first fixing member 134by being rotated about the hinge 135 a, so that the distance between thefirst and second fixing members can be adjusted.

Each of the first fixing member 134 and the second fixing member 135 isprovided with a curved portion 136 conforming to the streamlined contourof the underwater robot 20. Further, a protruding settlement portion 137for stably fixing the underwater robot 20 is provided at an end of eachcurved portion 136.

The curved portions 136 of the first and second fixing members 134 and135 may be arranged to face each other.

With this configuration, if one side of the underwater robot 20 issupported at the curved portion 136 of the first fixing member 134, thesecond fixing member 135 is rotated about the hinge 135 a, supportingand fixing the other side of the underwater robot 20.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for describing an operation method for thedocking station in accordance with the example embodiment.

Now, a process of the docking station 10 for operating the underwaterrobot 20 having the above-described configuration according to theexample embodiment all the time will be described.

The underwater robot 20 explores underwater environment, and the dockingstation 10 transmits data upon the status and the position of theunderwater robot 20 and monitors data acquired by the underwater robot20 (S120 and S121).

At this time, the docking station 10 checks a state of the underwaterrobot 20 for each ID (S130), and checks the position of the underwaterrobot 20 and requests the returning of the underwater robot 20 (S140).

If the underwater robot 20 accesses the docking station 10 for charging(S150), storage (S200) or repair (S300), the underwater robot 20 docksinto the docking station 10 (S161, S210 and S310).

At this time, the underwater robot 20 can be introduced to the dockingunit 210 within the receiving unit 200 by being guided by the guide arm201.

After the underwater robot 20 is introduced to the docking unit 210, thesliding portion 211 is rotated in an upward direction of a preset angleθ such that the rear end portion 211 b of the sliding portion 211 comesto a position higher than the front end portion 211 a thereof If therear end portion 211 b of the sliding portion 211 becomes higher thanthe front end portion 211 a, the underwater robot 20 is slid toward thefront end portion 211 a of the docking groove 211 c of the slidingportion 211 due to its self-weight and the V-shaped cross section, andsettled there.

The underwater robot 20 settled at the sliding docking groove 211 of thedocking unit 210 is conveyed by the conveyor unit 130. Then, cleaningand drying of the underwater robot 20 are performed by the cleaningdevice 112 and the drying device 111 in the first maintenance unit 110of the maintenance unit 100 placed above the surface of the water (S162and S220). Then, the underwater robot 20 is moved into the secondmaintenance unit 120 and the battery thereof is charged therein (S163and S220).

Then, the completely charged underwater robot 20 is released through thereceiving unit 200 by the conveyor unit 130 (S170).

Upon the completion of the repair (S300) of the underwater robot 20, theunderwater robot 20 is released after a state of each function of theunderwater robot 20 is investigated (S320).

Data may be sent to the ground so that a user can monitor occurrence ofabnormality regarding the introduction of the underwater robot 20 intothe docking station 10 and the cleaning, drying, charging and releasingof the underwater robot 20 (S400).

Further, weather condition such as a wind direction or a temperature, ora water quality can be monitored by using the USBL communication module105, the wireless antenna 104, the GPS 102, the CCD camera 101, thewater quality sensor 108, and the like provided in the maintenance unit100.

Further, by enabling communication relay between the underwater and theground, the docking station 10 may have a function as a gateway.

In addition, it may be possible to recognize the position of theunderwater robot 20 over a wide range by using a movement operationfunction of the docking station 10 itself in association with GPSposition recognition.

Accordingly, by sending various weather condition information andunderwater information to the underwater robot 20, the underwater robot20 can be operated safely with improved efficiency.

In the docking station 10 according to the example embodiment of thepresent disclosure, since the receiving unit 200 for receiving theunderwater robot 20 is located under the surface of the water and themaintenance unit 100 for the management of the underwater robot 20 ispositioned above the surface of the water, the docking station 10 can beoperated all the time, so that efficient underwater exploration isenabled.

Furthermore, the entire structure for setting the underwater robot 20 atthe docking station 10 can be simplified, so that the structure of thedocking station 10 can also be simplified.

Although example embodiments of the present disclosure are describedabove with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in theart will understand that the present disclosure may be implemented invarious ways without changing the necessary features or the spirit ofthe present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that theexample embodiments described above are not limiting, but only anexample in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure isexpressed by claims below, not the detailed description, and it shouldbe construed that all changes and modifications achieved from themeanings and scope of claims and equivalent concepts are included in thescope of the present disclosure.

1. A docking station, comprising: a receiving unit configured to receivean underwater robot therein and positioned under a surface of water; amaintenance unit provided on the receiving unit and positioned above thesurface of the water; and a conveyor unit configured to convey theunderwater robot from the receiving unit to the maintenance unit.
 2. Thedocking station of claim 1, wherein the receiving unit comprises: aguide arm configured to guide a movement of the underwater robot; and adocking unit at which the underwater robot guided from the guide arm isto be settled.
 3. The docking station of claim 2, wherein the dockingunit comprises: a sliding member configured to allow the underwaterrobot to be slid by gravity and self-weight and settled at a rightposition; and a driving unit configured to rotate the sliding member inan upward direction.
 4. The docking station of claim 3, wherein thesliding member comprises a docking groove extended to have a V-shapedcross section, and the underwater robot is settled in the docking grooveand is slid.
 5. The docking station of claim 3, wherein the slidingmember comprises: a front end portion connected to the driving unit; anda rear end portion configured to be rotated in the upward directionabout the front end portion.
 6. The docking station of claim 5, whereinthe rear end portion is placed to a positon higher than the front endportion by being rotated from a positon lower than the front endportion.
 7. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the receiving unitfurther comprises buoyant bodies that are disposed at both side of thereceiving unit and provide buoyance.
 8. The docking station of claim 1,wherein the maintenance unit comprises: a first maintenance unitconfigured to perform cleaning and drying of the underwater robot; and asecond maintenance unit configured to charge a battery of the underwaterrobot.
 9. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the conveyor unitcomprises: a conveyor rail provided at the maintenance unit; a conveyorguide provided to be movable by the conveyor rail; and a gripperconnected to the conveyor guide and configured to hold the underwaterrobot to move the underwater robot.
 10. The docking station of claim 9,wherein the gripper comprises: a first fixing member configured tosupport one side of the underwater robot; and a second fixing memberconfigured to fix the other side of the underwater robot.
 11. Thedocking station of claim 10, wherein the first fixing member and thesecond fixing members are provided with a curved portion having a shapecorresponding to a contour of the underwater robot.
 12. The dockingstation of claim 11, wherein the curved portion includes a protrudingsettlement portion for allowing the underwater robot to be stably fixedthereat.
 13. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the maintenanceunit comprises at least one of a camera, an antenna and a sensor. 14.The docking station of claim 1, wherein the receiving unit comprises amovement device configured to move the docking station.
 15. The dockingstation of claim 14, wherein the movement device includes a propellerprovided to move the docking station in the water.